Azure Marketplace Private Offer Accepted Date vs Start Date

[Daniel_Langille]

Not sure if this is a bug or a feature, so I'll call it 'unexpected behavior:'

• I created a private offer for a customer at an absolute price different from the price in our public plans.
• The customer generously and kindly accepted the private offer before the June deadline for FY23 co-sell deal registration so we and our Microsoft friends would get credit for it as an FY23 win - even though the start date was set for July.
• When the transaction details appeared in Partner Center, the 'billed revenue' was our public price - NOT the contractually agreed upon absolute price I'd embedded in the private offer.

The response I received from the support ticket I opened said yes, this is the way the system works.  So . . . be wary of using absolute pricing with private offers that get accepted this month but have a start date of next month!

#MarketplaceChampions #Sponsored

[#2 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Daniel_Langille - Thank you for joining the Marketplace community hub. Since you and I have connected in the past, I've followed up personally, but wanted to share additional information here for others who may view this post.

Please find the Private offer FAQ documentation that references the differences between these different dates with best practices for your future configuration of private offers. I've also summarized below. 

Private Offer dates
Accept by date: the deadline you set for your customer to accept the terms of the offer
Note: You may as a best practice prefer to allow for the private offer to become valid (Start on) the day the customer accepts it. This is the outcome you expected. 
Start date: Always the first day of selected month in which you want the custom pricing to be valid. Alternatively, select “Accepted date” as the start date to make the price available for the customer to transact as soon as the private offer is accepted.
End date: Always the final day of selected month in which you want the custom pricing to end

Subscription dates
Start date: This is the day the customer actually purchases and subscribes to your product. (not the same as private offer acceptance or private offer start date)
End date or renewal date: This is the day the subscription will end or auto-renew (if enabled by customer). See SaaS billing terms up to 3-years

*The simplest way I think about a private offer is that it is a special promotion for your selected customer on one or more products (plans). The private offer itself is not a purchase, but an agreement to purchase selected products with a customized price point, billing duration schedule, and optional custom terms.

[#3]

Thanks for that explanation of what a private offer is! We still haven't used them yet because I'm not quite sure I understand the value.
What we normally do is just register an opportunity deal when we have a customer starting a new project. That way the client doesn't have to do anything to help us. Is there a reason why it's better to have them accept a private deal instead?

[#4]

@smartbridge_brooke thanks for your question!  The value of a private offer is it enables you to sell through Marketplace on custom terms you've negotiated with your customer - you're not limited only to selling what you've shared/listed in your public plan(s).  Private offers give you flexibility on pricing, contract duration, etc . . . and they are becoming more flexible all the time.  Either way, you are most definitely adhering to (co-sell) best practice by sharing all your qualified opportunities!

[#5]

@smartbridge_brooke I'm glad you asked the question, Brooke. A primary value of creating private offers, is that it enables partners selling solutions on Azure marketplace, to provide more tailored pricing and terms that meet the negotiated needs for specific Azure customers - typically enterprise customers. ISV software solutions can be sold via private offers through marketplace in three ways: 

1. ISV sells directly to end customer 
2. ISV sells to a Cloud Solution Provider (CSP)
3. ISV sells to any partner (currently United States market only) enrolled in Microsoft Cloud Partner Program and Marketplace, Partners can in-turn pass this offer through to their end customer. 

You'll hear much more about Marketplace and private offers during Inspire this week! Check out the relevant Session catalog (microsoft.com) including one session specific to marketplace private offers.

Additionally, since I see Smartbridge is listed as a diverse-owned and led partner, you may find this spring on-demand content valuable. Grow with the marketplace built for inclusion, innovation, and impact.